Automatic intercommunicating train-reporting system.



No. 813,281. PATENTED APR. 10, 1906.

v B. E. STEINER. AUTOMATIG INTERGOMMUNIGATING TRAIN REPORTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILEQ JULY 14, 1905.

wuom/boz Elmer E. Steiner ELMER E. STEINER, OF KNIGHTSTOWN, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC INTERCOIVIIVIUNICATING TRAIN-REPORTlNG SYSTEM.-

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 10, 1906.

Application filed July 14, 1905. Serial No. 269,686.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. STEINER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Knightstown, in the county ofHenry and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Intercommunicating Train-Iteporting Systems,of which the following is a specification.

In my companion application, Serial No. 269,058, filed July 10, 1905, Ihave described an automatic train reporting system by means of which thenumber and direction of a railway-train and the number of the stationwill be automatically and instantaneously reported to a central ofliceeach time such train passes such station.

It being my general purpose to avoid all the delays incident to thereporting of train movements and the transmission of orders to suchtrains, it is the principal object of my present invention to provide ameans by which the orders can be communicated to the train when inmotion, so that by the use of the two inventions no stopping of trainsis required for purposes of communication, so that such trains maybekept continuously in motion except where stops are required for otherpurposes.

A further object of my present invention is to provide a means ofintercommunication between all trains moving on the same railway, andthus make it possible for the engineer, motorman, or conductor to knowwhere all other trains on the road are, and thus take such precautionarymeasures as may be proper where two or more trains are in proximity toeach other.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a system or apparatus embodying mypresent invention. Said drawing is a view illustrating diagrammaticallyan electrical apparatus or system embodying my said invention. I haveincluded in this figure an illustration of a car of the type commonlyused in interurban electric service; but it will be understood that thisis for purposes of illustration merely, and that the invention is quiteas applicable tosteam-railw ays having locomotives and cars of theordinary type, and that the electrical equipment indicated is notnecessarily of any significance, except for the purposes of my presentinvention.

In a central station or train-despatchers office I provide atransmitting instrument 21, which is or maybe an ordinarytelegraph-key,a suit able receiving instrument 22, and usual y a battery 23. Thetransmitting instrument is connected by a suitable wire 24 to atrolleywire 25, and a second trolley-wire 26 is connected to thereceiving instrument by a suitable wire 27.

The car is equipped with a double trolley.

The trolley-wheel 31, which is in contact with the trolley-wire 25, isconnected, by means of a wire 32, running down the trolley-pole andthence into the car, with a receiving instrument 33 in said car, andfrom said instrument another wire 34 leads back up to the trolleywheel35, which is in contact with the trolleywire 26. Now it is obvious thata signal trans mitted from the key 21 will pass up the wire 24, alongthe wire 25 to the trolley 31, thence down the wire 32 to the receivinginstrument 33, thence by the wire 34 back to the trolley 35, thence bythe trolley-wire 26 to the branch 27, and thence to the receivinginstrument 22 in the central station or traindespatchers oflice.Connections between the receiving and transmitting instruments,preferably through the battery 23, complete the circuit, as will bereadily understood. 1 The trolley-wires 25 and 26 continue along theline. Each of the cars is equipped with a similar apparatus. It isobvious, therefore, that the same signal is transmitted to each of thecars, so that the operator on each car will hear all the orders whichare being transmitted to all the cars or trains on the road. Each carmay also be provided with a transmitting instrument 37, suitablyconnected to the circuit, as by the wires 38 and 39, and the person incharge of the car is thus enabled to transmit signals (communicatinginformation or acknowledging receipt of orders) back to the centralstation or train-despatchers oflice. These signals will likewise beoverheard and understood by the operative upon each car or train on theroad whose duty it is to attend to the receiving and transmitting ofthese signals.

As before stated, it is my purpose to use this invention in conjunctionwith the automatic train-reporting system described in my application,Serial N 0. 269,058, above 1nentioned, and a form of said automatictrainreporting apparatus is shown in said drawing. The push-buttons 41,42, and 43 of said system are shown as located alongside the track,ready to be operated by the strike 44, carried by the train, and onemember of said pushbuttons is connected to the trolley-wire 25 by awire45 and the other member to one of the track-rails by a Wire 46. Saidtrack-rail is connected to the key or receiving instrument by a Wire 48,and the circuit is thus completed. In this arrangement, therefore, allthe signals which are automatically transmitted by the passage of thetrain, as more fully described in my said application, Serial No.269,058, are also transmitted to all the several cars or trains on theroad, and that operative on each train Whose duty it is to observe orattend to such signals is thus kept constantly informed of the locationand movement of all of the other trains.

Having thus fullydescribed mysaid invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic intercommunicating train-reporting system, twotrolley-Wires running along the line, an instrument on each train to becommunicated with, connections from said Wires to an instrument on eachof said trains, a signaling apparatus adapted to be operatedautomatically by each train as it passes, a central station, andcircuits connecting said several sets of apparatus, Whereby all signalsgiven from Whatever point shall be communicated to each other train andpoint equipped with such apparatus.

2. In an automatic intercommunicating train-reporting system, anelectrical circuit including two trolley-wires, a central station havinga transmitting and a receiving instrument, connections from saidinstruments to said trolley-Wires, a car having a receiving instrument,connections from said instrument to said trolley-wires, astation-signaling apparatus located alongside the track, an electricalcircuit including one of said trol ley-wires leading to said signalingapparatus, and means carried by the car whereby said signaling apparatusis operated as the car passes, whereby a complete system ofcommunication is established between the central office and the cars,and whereby the passage of each car thus equipped is automaticallyreported from the station-signaling apparatus both to the centralstation and to'each other similarly equipped car on the line.

, In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 11th day of July, A. D. 1905.

ELMER E. STEINER.

